


Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Search for Wind

by DeanHanel



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pokemon Mystery Dungeon
Genre: Gen, PMD, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon - Freeform, Search for Wind
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-17
Updated: 2013-09-25
Packaged: 2017-12-27 01:16:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 9,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/972611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeanHanel/pseuds/DeanHanel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An Oshawott named Jacob and his brother are attacked! Now His brother is missing, and Jacob is burdened with the task of finding him. Follow Jacob and his new friends as they form an exploration team and search for the wind, which has mysteriously vanished.<br/>UPDATE: This story is no longer under production. My coauthor, Captain Blistarix is revamping it, and giving it a new name. I will post the link once he begins publishing chapters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Into the Darkness

Chapter 1: Into the Darkness

I open my eyes and see sunlight. I try and blink the sleep from my eyes, but I can't. I let myself drift back off to sleep, but only for a little while. I have to do something today. I force myself up, thinking of my brother. It's been a week. A whole week. I've wasted too much time. I have to Rescue Matt. But how? Matt was one of the best explorers in the region. And he was taken so easily. Then I'll have to be stronger than Matt. I'll make whoever it was who did this pay. But first, I've got to find a partner. That cave nearby has lots of Pokémon in it. Maybe one of them will help.

Standing at the mouth of the cave, I think of the task before me. But I don't have time for that. I have to get moving. I walk into the cave, and watch the light slowly fade as I move deeper into it. Before long, I can't see anything. I peer into the darkness and try to decipher it. I see something, and call out: "Hey! Over here! I need to talk to you!"

The shape moves closer. I can see now that it's a Snivy.  
"Hi, my name is Jacob. I was wondering if you would-".  
The Snivy lashes out with a vine, using it like a whip. I dodge the blow, barely. Looks like there won't be any talking to this one. I detach my shell to use as a shield and use it to block several blows. I shoot a burst of water and hit him dead on. It doesn't look like it did much damage though. He hits me again, and I feel a sharp sting on my leg. That one really hurts.  
It's hard to fight through the pain, but I can't fail now. I shoot off another water burst, but I miss. He hits me with another vine whip, and I collapse. My quest is over. I never stood a chance.  
As my vision fades to black, I see a light approach. The Snivy is fleeing. The light... No... Don't leave...

I open my eyes and see a Charmander smiling at me. I sit up.  
"Took you long enough. I thought you were toast for a minute there. You didn't wake up after I fed you that Oran berry. But you're OK now, right?" He says worriedly.  
"Yeah. Where are we?" I ask.  
"In the cave. I didn't want to move you. Plus I still have something to do down here."  
"What's that?"  
"Well my friend ran down here a while ago, and I came to get him. The problem is, most of the Pokémon down here are water type and I can't get very far."  
"Well, I'll help you! Water types are resistant to each other. I should be able to get you through this cave."  
"Thanks so much!"  
"It's no problem. You did the same thing by running off that Snivy. Let's go! By the way, my name is Jacob." I stick out my hand.  
"I'm Joey." he shakes my hand vigorously.

We've been walking for ages now. Where could his friend be? With the presence of light, I can see the cave clearly. It's very damp and rather depressing.  
"You know, it's nice being able to see where I'm going down here," I say, gesturing to Joey's tale.  
"You know, I've never really noticed how much light my tail gives off."  
"Well it's pretty handy. "I see something in the distance.  
"Look!" We run over to find a Munchlax sleeping on the ground.  
"Nick! NICK!" Joey says.  
Nick wakes with a start.  
"Hey, what're you doing here Joey? You know there's lotsa water types down here," he says sleepily.  
"I came to get you! Why were you sleeping on the ground?!"  
"Well I was wandering around and I got hungry. I found this seed on the ground, so I ate it. Next thing I know, here you are. Who's that?"  
"That's Jacob. He helped me get here."  
"Well thanks! I'd still be sleepin' here if't weren't for you."  
"It's no problem," I reply. "Let's get out of here!"

"So you want us to form an exploration team with you?" Joey asks. "Sure thing! What about you Nick?"  
"I don't know. I kinda wanna go take a nap."  
"YOU JUST FELL ASLEEP IN A CAVE!"  
"Oh, alright. I owe you one for coming to get me. I'm in."  
"Great," I say, "I've already sent for an exploration kit. As soon as it gets here we can start searching."  
"For what," Joey asks.  
"For the wind."


	2. Explanations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jake explains his quest to the others.

Chapter 2: Explanations

"The wind? We're searching for the wind?" Joey asks.  
"Sort of. I'm looking for what comes with the wind." I reply.  
"Well what comes with the wind?"  
"My brother."  
"Your brother?"  
"Yes. Have you guys noticed how the wind doesn't blow any more?"  
"No. I thought it was just weird weather patterns," Joey says.  
"Well it started a week ago, on the same day that my brother and I were attacked. I believe we were attacked by a Pokémon named Tornadus. He's said to control the winds."  
"Why would Tornadus attack you and your brother though?" Joey asks.  
"My brother said he was on the verge of finding something big. Tornadus must not have wanted it found."  
"Well we can't do anything until we get that kit. Come get us when it gets here," Joey says.  
As I take the short walk to the post office, I think of where to start. The spot we were attacked? No, that's not likely to hold clues. Where else could we start? Yes! Of course! We have to follow the path my brother took! But we're not ready for that. Hmm... We could try getting certified. Then we would be ready for sure. I can see the post office, so I start running.  
"Ah, Jacob. We have a package for you from the Federation," says the Pellipper postman.  
"Great! Now we can get started!"  
He hands me the package, and I run all the way home. I open the box to find three red scarves, a big bag, and a... thing. It looked like a small pager. According to the instruction manual, it's called a Notifier, and I take these and hurry off to find Joey and Nick.  
"So what should we do first?" Joey asks.  
"Well, the first thing we'll do is finish exploring that cave. We need a little bit of money, and those Mystery Dungeons often have treasure."  
"Good idea. But we have no clue how deep that cave goes."  
"That's the fun of being on an exploration team. Now, we have one last thing to decide. Which one of us is going to be the leader?"  
Joey and Nick look at each other.  
"We were just talking about that. Nick and I think you should be the leader."  
"What? Why?"  
"Because it's your quest. You're the only one with a specific goal. Me and Joey are in it for fun and to help you. Plus, this was all your idea," Nick says.  
"Wow... Thanks guys. Now, we need a name."  
No one speaks for a while.  
"I've got it! Sky shield! Team Sky Shield," Joey says.  
"Why Sky Shield?"Nick replies.  
"Because we want to protect the skies and everything else from Tornadus, right?"  
"Hmm... Good point."  
"Great. Now let's head to the cave," I say.


	3. Return to the Cave, Exploration Center

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Sky Shield goes back to the cave.

Chapter 3: Return to the Cave, The Exploration Center

I once again find myself staring into the mouth of the cave. Lucky for me, there is a major difference this time. I'm with friends. I think of Matt again, and it gives me strength. I can do this.  
"Let's go!" I yell as I run into the cave.  
"Hey, wait for us!" Joey yells as he and Nick run after me laughing.  
"So how deep do you think this cave goes?" Joey asks.  
"Hopefully not much farther," Nick replies. "I'm getting hungry."  
"Well once we get to the end of the dungeon, we might be able to buy enough food for a lifetime," I say.  
"Really?"  
We pick up our pace. After a little while we run into a group of Snivy. They notice us, and look at us warily as we pass. Once we think we have passed them, Joey yells.  
"OW!"  
A lone Snivy has challenged us. Joey whips around angrily, and the flame on his tail grows bigger. He yells in rage and suddenly shoots glowing hot embers at the Snivy, who instantly faints.  
"Ow, that really hurt..."  
"Woah. Have you ever done that before?" I ask.  
"No. It's really weird. I've never done anything like that before." He replies.  
"Well we can check it out when we get back. For now we have to focus on finding the end of this cave."  
We soon find what appears to be a dead end. The cave wall seems to extend far above our meager light source.  
"So what now?" Nick asks.  
"I don't know. Maybe somebody else already found the treasure," I say.  
"Awwww. We'll never get out of here this time." Nick sits on a nearby rock, and it moves ever so slightly. "Woah! Help me move this!"  
We push the rock out of the way, and ind a small hole. I manage to squeeze through and I see a large pearl glittering in the dim light.  
"I GOT IT! I FOUND THE TREASURE!"  
I pull myself out of the hole and hold up the pearl.  
"So how do we get out of here?" Joey asks.  
"We use our badges. They can warp us right out of the dungeon," I say.  
"Well let's get out of he-"  
"STOP!"  
We look around for the source of the shouting. We see the group of Snivy we passed earlier.  
"That pearl belongs to us," says the apparent leader.  
"No, we found it first. It's ours, and you can't have it!" Nick says.  
"Unless we take it..."  
He suddenly lashes out and the rest of the group follows suit. We can't win this one. The last one was a fluke. I quickly press the button on my badge and a countdown appears: 1:00. Does that mean we have to wait a minute?! No! We'll never make it!  
"Stall!" I shout.  
The Snivy relentlessly attack us and I barely manage to either block or dodge each blow. This is the longest minute of my life! I look over and see Joey nimbly dodging each attack easily. Nick catches a vine and-TAKES BITE OF IT?!  
"Ewww... that tasted like lettuce. Blech," he says.  
Finally my badge beeps and we are warped out of the dungeon.  
"That. Was horrible," Nick says, panting.  
"Well we have the pearl still, so let's head off to The Exploration Center.

We walk into the nearby town, and see a large, domed building: The Exploration Center. Matt has told me so many stories about this place. Inside we'll find everything we need to carry out our quest. We walk into the building and see stall after stall filled with anything we could think of. The first thing we do is sell the pearl and buy some food, then I start walking towards the center of the building.  
"Where are we headed, Jake?" Joey asks.  
"To see someone who can help us."  
I finally see the building. A broken-down little shack with a wide yard. I cross the yard and peer inside. An old Smeargle is dozing on his feet. I walk in.  
"Mr. Smeargle! Wake up!"  
He jumps and glances around.  
"What? Oh. Little Jacob. You appear to have found some companions after all. Well I guess i have to keep my promise."  
"What promise?" Nick asks.  
"Mr. Smeargle here found me after we were attacked. He healed me and promised me that if I could find a partner, he would help us out."  
"And indeed I will. Jacob come here."  
I walk over to him.  
"Take that shell of yours off."  
I obey.  
"Now. Channel all of your energy into it."  
I concentrate as hard as I can. Suddenly, a blue blade appears from my shell.  
"Whoah!"  
I lose my concentration and the blade fades.  
"That move is called Razor Shell. Practice hard and you will master it. Now, you little Charmander."  
Joey walks over.  
"What thing makes you more angry than anything else?"  
"Pokemon who don't fight fair."  
"Good. Now, visualize that as hard as you can and release that energy."  
Joey looks as if he is concentrating and becoming angry. Suddenly, the embers from before shoot from his mouth.  
"That is the aptly named Ember. Munchlax. Here."  
Nick waddles over.  
"Think of the most unpredictable thing in your life, then concentrate on it. Then-"  
A large explosion cuts Smeargle off and destroys most of the house.  
"ROTTEN METRONOME BLOWING UP MY HOUSE AGAIN"  
"So that was Metronome?" I ask.  
He struggles to get up.  
"Correct. It is the most unpredictable move that can be learned, and Munchlax specialize in it. This happens every time I teach it . I didn't think he'd get it quite so quickly. Now, while i repair my house, you three are to spend the next week practicing outside. By the time you leave, you will have mastered your moves."  
We're on our way, Matt. Don't worry.


	4. Darksword

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first encounter with Team Sky Shields rivals, Team Darksword!

Chapter 4: Darksword

I feel exhausted. I've mastered Razor Shell after a week. I once again find myself thinking of how much time has passed. Two weeks now. So long, yet so short. Joey is now able to keep a steady stream of embers going. Nick has had Metronome down from the start. We're finally ready to start really exploring.  
"C'mon guys, I have to do something real quick."  
I walk over to a stall with a sign saying "Information", with a Lilligant behind the counter.  
"Is this where the records are kept?" I ask.  
"Yes, it is. How can I help you?"  
"Can I get the exploration records for Matthew Dewott?"  
"And why do you need these records?"  
"Research for missing persons."  
"Alright, then.  
She brings me a thick file containing lots of papers. I look at one, which lists the type of mission, a letter, the date, and other details.  
"What does this letter mean?"  
"Oh, that? That is the mission rank. Ranks E and D are recommended for Normal Rank Teams."  
This paper says D, but it's dated a few years ago. I find some more recent files, but those say "S" or "1 ". Looks like we'll have quite a bit of training to go through.  
"We're allowed to keep this, right?"  
"Indeed you are, as that is simply a copy."  
"Thank you."  
I begin to walk away, feeling a little disheartened. Matt was Diamond Rank, and we're still at Normal. We'll have to work really hard.  
"Hey, Jake, wait up! Why do you look so sad? We can get as high up as your brother easily," Joey says.  
"Yeah, no problem Jake," Nick adds.  
They're right. I can't give up now. We have to save Matt!  
The notifier beeps.  
"What's it say?" Joey asks.  
"'Shellder has fainted in Dusk Dark Cave. Please bring him back. Reward offered!' Looks like we have our first mission! Joey, where's Dusk Dark Cave?"  
He opens our Wonder Map. "Not too far. But this says it gets pitch black after dusk. This could be dangerous. Should we wait until tomorrow?"  
"No time for that, that Shellder needs our help!"

We walk through the narrow path defined by the cave walls. We finally emerge into a clearing, but we can't see the other side. A Zubat flies up. I prepare to use Razor Shell, but nick runs forward.  
"I got this guys. Metronome!"  
Joey and I flinch, but nothing happens. We open our eyes to find the cave illuminated along with what looks like hundreds of Zubat.  
"Oops," Nick says.  
"It's okay! It looks like you've stunned them!" Joey tells him.

We quickly run from the room, pausing only after we are sure we haven't been followed. We quickly resume our search for the Shellder. I try to stay close to the wall, and soon we come to another clearing. I see a glint of light through the darkness. It must be the Shellder!  
"There it is! C'mon!" I shout.  
We're not far from him now! Suddenly, a Shuppet blocks our path.  
"Wah! Who are you?" I ask.  
"The only thing you need to know is that you've been beaten by Team Darksword," he replies.  
"We're the darkness that rises from the night!"  
A Scraggy steps from the shadows.  
"Now you shall feel our power and might!"  
Now a Mawile  
"Our voices will soon make you shiver with fright!" the Shuppet says.  
"So in with the darkness, and out with the light!" they all say.  
"We were sent this mission from the exploration center. We got here first, so the job reward goes to us. Now beat it before we make you leave the hard way!" the Shuppet says.  
"Shouldn't you make sure that Shellder is okay?" I ask.  
"I said BEAT IT! Now! Before I-" He notices Nick. "Well look what we have here!"  
"Uh-oh," Nick says meekly.  
"If it isn't our favorite fat little Munchlax."  
"Leave him alone, you bully!" Joey yells.  
"Joey, do you know them?" I ask.  
"Yeah. They bully Nick back in our village."  
"Nyeh-heh-heh. Long time no see, Nick. Where ya been?" says the Scraggy.  
"I said leave him alone!" Joey yells.  
"I guess we'll have to teach Joey over here some manners," the Shuppet says.  
Joey is getting angry. Who knows what could happen if he loses control. Wait! Scraggy left the Shellder over there.  
"Nick! Grab the Shellder!" I yell.  
He runs over, grabs the Shellder, then whips around.  
"Metronome!"  
There is a flash of light, and Nick is gone.  
"No!" the Scraggy yells.  
I hit the button on my badge and look up to see the Mawile attacking me. I dodge its biting hair and use Razor Shell. I hit her hard and she backs up. I look over and see Joey attacking the Scraggy with Ember, encircling him with fire, but the Shuppet sneaks up on him from behind. I jump at it, swinging my scalchop at it. It dodges, but before it can attack, we are gone.

We land not too far from Nick, who is sitting next to the conscious Shellder.  
"Thank you for rescuing me! You boys are true heroes." it tells us.  
"Thanks. Now let's head to the exploration center so we can get something to eat." Jake replies.  
"Finally. I haven't eaten anything in two hours!"


	5. Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jake and the team get wind(you see what i did there?) about Matt, and start to follow his trail.

Search for Wind Chapter 5: Return

"So how are you doing, boys?" asks the Kangaskhan who runs the storage center.  
"We just need a couple of Oran Berries, ma'am," Joey exclaims.  
"Give me just a second, sweetie." She reaches into her pouch and pulls out two berries. "By the way, Jake, I've heard your brother passed through here a little while ago."  
"WHAT?!"  
"Yeah. I heard the Darmanitan who runs the Link Shop mention Matt passed through."  
Matt was here! I found him!  
"Quick! To the Link Shop!"

"Yeah, he mentioned he was headed to the Tri-Dungeon," says the Darmanitan.  
"Tri-Dungeon?" Nick asks.  
"Yup. It's three dungeons right in a row, no rest points or nothin. I've even heard that three super-powerful Pokémon live there."  
"Where is it?" I demand.  
"Just north of here. Before you leave, though, let me teach you guys something. They're simple little actions that should help you a little."

We run up to the entrance to the dungeon and see a sign that says "WARNING! This dungeon is particularly dangerous. It is recommended that teams be Bronze Rank before entering."  
"Are you sure we should go in there, Jake?" Joey asks.  
"You guys don't have to, but I will," I reply.  
"Well if you're going in, so are we!" Nick says.  
"Yeah! We stick together!" Joey exclaims.  
I smile. "Thanks, guys."

Thanks to Joey's new Torchfire ability, we can see the cave much clearer. It appears to be littered with lost items. I hear Nick's stomach grumble. I look over and see him pick up a seed.  
"Nick, don't!" I yell.  
Too late. He eats it.  
"~Whooh. Guys. I feel dizzy. I can't see straight.~"  
A Zubat suddenly flies up.  
"Oh, great." Joey says.  
"~I got this guys. Metronome!~" Nick yells.  
Suddenly, we all seem to have switched places, with Nick in the air. He falls to the ground, letting out a great big "Oof".  
"~That made it worse!~" Nick yells.  
Joey hits the Zubat with a shot of fire, and it runs off.  
"You gotta stop just eating anything you find on the ground, buddy," Joey says.  
"But I was hungry!"  
"That's what we brought food for." I tell him. I give Nick an apple and we move on.  
It's weird. We're pretty deep in the cave, but that Zubat is the only Pokémon we've seen so far. It's like someone has just been through here. But the items around here haven't been touched, meaning they know their way around the cave. Are we really following Matt then?  
I don't remember Matt ever talking about this cave. Then again, it was only discovered recently. Wait. Matt did mention this cave. That's right! Matt actually discovered this cave! He did it right before he went missing!  
"Jake, are you okay? You seem awfully quiet over there," Joey says.  
"I think we've found Matt's trail. Right before he went missing, Matt mentioned that he had discovered a new dungeon. He thought there might be some interesting treasure in it. This dungeon was only revealed by the Federation a few weeks ago, right after Matt went missing!"  
"Well why hasn't anyone made it through this place yet?" Nick asks.  
"I'm not sure. I guess we'll have to find out ourselves."  
"AND INDEED YOU SHALL. NOT THAT IT MATTERS, THOUGH."


	6. Terrakion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Sky Shield encounters the First Guardian, Terrakion.

Chapter 6: Terrakion

I spin around to find a huge, hulking Pokémon. He snorts and stamps his foot, sending us all flying in the air.  
"Waaah" Nick yells.  
We fall to the ground, and get up to see the Pokémon rearing back to attack. Joey and I leap out of the way, but Nick isn't so lucky. He takes the full brunt of the attack and slides across the floor of the room, defeated.  
"Nick!" Joey and I shout.  
"I AM TERRAKION, AND YOU WILL NEVER PASS BY ME!" Terrakion roars  
He charges at Me and Joey. I dodge to the left and Joey to the right, Terrakion passing between us. He tuns on Joey and charges again. Joey tries to dodge, but gets clipped by Terrakion. Terrakion turns on Joey again. His horn glows bright, and a large blade of energy erupts from it. I leap towards Joey and find myself surrounded by water. I manage to put myself between Terrakion and Joey. Ow. That really hurt. I shrug off the pain and concentrate, and the same jet of water appears. I let it propel me, and I slam hard into Terrakion, making him stagger.  
"HOW DARE YOU." He growls.  
"Joey, wake Nick up. I need both of you for this." I tell him.  
"Here, take this first," he says, throwing an Oran berry to me.  
I eat it greedily and turn to Terrakion. Energy refilled, I concentrate again and charge at him. He manages to deflect most of the blow, but I can see that I still hurt him. I launch off of him to get some distance and see Joey and Nick run up.  
"Metronome!"  
Nick becomes surrounded by crackling energy and tackles Terrakion. He holds him in place while Joey bathes him in embers I launch myself at him, and he throws off Nick. As his horn starts to glow again, he swings it at me, but I launch myself out of the water jet and use Razor Shell. I hit him square on the head, and he collapses, defeated.  
"YOU HAVE SHOWN ME YOUR STRENGTH. I NOW PERMIT YOU TO PASS. BUT BEWARE OF THE SECOND GUARDIAN."  
"Wait, what?" Joey asks.  
"THIS IS MERELY THE FIRST OF THREE DUNGEONS, JUST AS I AM THE FIRST OF THREE GUARDIANS."  
"We have two more dungeons to go through? Oh. I'm exhausted!" Nick says.  
"BE CALM, HUNGRY ONE. THE NEXT ROOM IS A HEALING SPRING."  
"Well, let's hurry, then, or we might lose Matt's trail!" I yell.  
We're right behind you Matt.


	7. Traps, Virizion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jake and the team encounter the second guardian, and Joey learns an amzing new move!

Chapter 7: Taps, Verizion

I step from the spring feeling refreshed. I check our bag to find that we are low on supplies. A few apples, dour Oran berries and a sleep have to be more careful. We used our last reviver seed in that fight. I'll have to keep a better eye out.  
"Alright, guys. Let's go," I tell them.  
Once again there seems to be an absence of wild Pokémon. I hear a click behind me. I turn around and see a whirlwind surrounding Nick. It picks him up and flings him at Joey.  
"Oww..."Joey says.  
"What was that?" Nick asks.  
"The Explorer's Guide says it's a trap. Triggered by stepping on the pressure plate," I tell them, " we should probably avoid them."  
I take a step and here that same click. I see a second revealed trap underneath me. I'm suddenly flying straight up. I land in a different part of the cave. I can't see Joey or Nick anywhere. With no light, I take off my scalchop and fill it with water. Then i use my new Luminescence ability to make it glow. It doesn't give as much light as Joey's Torchfire, but it helps. I check the Wonder Map to find myself not too far from Joey and Nick. I start walking, but I quickly notice something glittering in my meager light. It appears to be an orb. As I look closer, it seems to have a picture of a torch inscribed on it. The explorer's guide calls it a Luminous Orb. and to smash it against the ground to use it, like all other orbs. I do so, and a flash of light comes from the shattered orb. When my vision clears, I see that the cave has been illuminated. I check my Wonder Map and see that the floor has been revealed. Joey and Nick must have known to check the map too. I'll head for the stairs to wait for them.  
Joey enters the room just as I do. I give him the second orb I picked up, and we head down the stairs. We find a large clearing at the bottom.  
"Do ya think that this is where the second guardian is?" Nick asks.  
"You would be correct to think that."  
A slender Pokémon steps from the shadows.  
"I am Verizion. No Pokémon has ever outwitted me, and no one has ever defeated me," she says.  
Without warning, she creates a glowing sphere and launches it at us. I leap out of the way and and look over my shoulder. Relieved, I see that Joey and Nick dodged too. I look at Verizion and see her surrounded by a red aura, seemingly splitting in two.  
She made a copy of herself!  
Se does this again, and Joey shoots a stream of ember at one. It disappears and Verizion makes another.  
"You're not fighting very fair!" Joey growls.  
He shoots embers at as many as he can while I ride around on my aqua jet taking the copies out. I see nick slam into Verizion, and she creates another copy. Nick looks at both and runs away, screaming.

 

NOTE: This section is through Joey's perspective.

I find myself surrounded by copies. One of them has to be the real Verizion. They simultaneously ready those energy balls. As time seems to slow, I notice something out of the corner of my eye. One of the Verizions made a cloud of dust when it put its foot down. The other didn't do that. I turn and shoot ember at Verizion, which burst into flames that engulf the energy ball and Verizion.

NOTE: Back to Jake

As Joeys flames die out, i run over and see a defeated Verizion.  
"Congratulations. You have defeated the second guardian. Be warned, though. The third guardian is far more powerful than either Terrakion or myself," she tells us.  
"That won't matter. We won't give up until Jake has found his brother!" Nick yells.  
Pride swells up inside me as my team walks beside me to the next dungeon.  
We're almost there Matt. Almost there.


	8. The Final Guardian

Chapter 8: The Final Guardian

We can't relax at all now. Me and Joey dive head first into the spring, with Nick following closely behind us with a belly flop, nearly crushing the both of us in his wake. Horrified from our near KO experience, we climb out of the pool and race into the next part of the dungeon.  
Surprisingly, the cave has much better lighting than the previous two sections of this dungeon. Though, to our dismay, there are many more Pokémon in our way this time compared to the other segments of the dungeon. Most of them being Steel-Type, or at least that's what Joey says, right before he roasted them with his fire breath.

At last we see it. The opening to the final room. The one that will most likely hold the final guardian to this cave. We dash through the opening to face our oncoming threat.  
The room has a slight curve to the left so we can prepare for our encounter with the final guardian. Though as soon as we enter the room, Nick collapses, breathing heavily.  
"I never... Want to... Run... Ever... Again..." He states slowly, between gasps for air.  
Joey hands him one of the few Oran Berries we have left and urges him to press on.  
We really need to be more careful... We have almost no supplies left and we're all tired from that marathon run...  
Joey helps him up, and we take a deep breath, then we round the corner together to face our foe.  
However none of us could have guessed what we saw next. The Pokémon I assume is the guardian is down on all fours, talking to someone within the meager light of the room. There is a boulder that I guess must have fallen from the ceiling, so I nudge Joey and point to it. He gets the idea and bolts towards the rock, holding Nick by his arm so he wouldn't fall behind and get us noticed. I quickly follow them and as we got closer, I heard what the guardian was saying.  
"Curse you! How could someone like you be able to defeat me? What exactly are your plans? Why would you come here to defeat me and my fellow companions? Tell me!" He roars.  
That thing's voice is terrifying. I don't know how whoever it is he was yelling at wasn't trembling at least a little bit.  
All I heard in response was a chuckle and a male voice say: "Because I needed someone to practice on before I attempted to take down the Federation."  
Both me and Joey gasp at what the figure in the darkness had said. That was too much to take in at once.  
The Federation? What's this guy have against the Federation? What did they do to make him want to attack them? And how does he think that he can take down all the teams involved in the Federation all by himself?  
"Awww, man. I can't hear them! Guys, what're they talking about?" Nick whines.  
Me and Joey turn to face him and gave him a loud "SSSHHHH!" to the face. I guess he forgot that we were trying to be incognito.  
The Voice in the darkness and the guardian have finally noticed us.  
"Who's there?" the Voice yells. Guess he can't see us.  
Me and Joey look at each other and sigh. We all face one another, take another deep breath and jump out from behind the rock together. Well, except for Nick who as he jumped, must have tripped over himself because I hear a thud and a quickly followed "OOUF!".  
As I internally facepalm, I triumphantly state: "We are Team Sky Shield from the Exploration Federation! And we're here to take you dow-"  
The room becomes completely silent. A pin could have dropped and we would have all heard it. I'm also pretty sure I hear Nick's jaw hit the floor, but that could just be in my head.  
The figure who was talking to the guardian, the figure who said that he alone was going to take down the Federation was my brother.


	9. Matt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt seems to have resurfaced, but something isn't quite right... Will Jake and the others finally get to the end of their quest, or will they become hopelessly entangled in something much deeper?

Chapter 9: Matt

"M-Matt?" I stutter. "Matt! We finally found you!" I started to walk closer to him, but Joey grabs my wrist and holds me back. "What happened to you? I remember something attacking us and when I woke up you weren't there. Tell me, where did you go?"  
Matt stares at the ground for a moment, then looks up and speaks.  
"Hey, little brother. How have you been? You must have gotten a lot stronger to have made it through this cave. So how is everyone in tow-"  
"Answer me!" I yell, cutting him off. "I deserve answers. Where were you? What happened to you? And why do you want to take down the Federation?"  
Again, he looks down, as if searching for the right answer to my questions. After what had seems like an eternity, he lifted his head slightly and began to speak again.  
"I can't tell you that, little brother..."  
"SHUT UP!" I tug away from Joey's grip. "You can tell me. Remember the promise we made to each other? That no matter what, we would tell each other anything and everything." I am nearly crying at this point. Tears build up in the corners of my eyes. "So answer me this time, what happened?"  
Silence again.  
"I've been here this entire time. Living in the shadows of the town. The reason why I want to destroy the Federation? Simple. It's because they put me and my older brother through a living nightmare. We were even separated because of it. I want them to suffer just as I have. For all of their lives to be in ruin, just as mine was without my only friend."  
I didn't know what to say. My mind was racing.  
"But, Matt, I'm your younger brother. Surely you haven't forgotten that, right?"  
"I'm not talking about you, you idiot. Though, it was because of your brother that this happened. So I guess I'll start with you first!"  
Before I can react, he shoots an orb of black energy from his mouth at me. I felt my body being tugged, and I don't resist. It's Joey, taking me by the arm and pulling me out of the way of the blast, behind the rock.  
"I knew it." Joey states calmly. "I had a feeling that it wasn't actually Matt."  
My mind is still racing. I can't believe it. We chased a shadow down into a high-ranked dungeon, fought through many floors, even fighting some very powerful Pokémon, only to run into an imposter who wants to take out the Federation.  
I finally get my brain in gear and prepared for a fight.  
"Nick!" I shouted to him. He looked at me with worried eyes. Joey looked back at me too. "Lets go!"  
We again jump out from behind the rock, and Joey shoots a burst of flames at the imposter. He jumps away from the flames and I counter with a jet of water to his chest throwing the Matt look alike backwards and onto his back. He lands with an "OOF" and Joey jumps up breathing fire down onto him.  
We land next to each other, breathing a little heavy. We put a lot of power into those attacks. But, in the smoke, Joey and I can see that he's standing up.  
"MOVE, GUYS!"  
For a quick second, I forget that Nick is here. Joey and I jump away from each other to make room for Nick to dash through with his "high-speed tackle", as he had called it earlier. As he races by, I look back to the imposter to see him throw his arms up in the air, and slam them back down on the ground. This creates a gray shockwave that throws us all backwards and against the wall behind us. Joey is instantly knocked out and Nick and I are badly injured. However, I get up. I limp along to face the imposter and once I see him, he laughs.  
"So your team was the one sent to deal with me? Tell me this, are you even have high enough of a rank to legitimately enter this dungeon?" He laughs again.  
"Shut up!" I get a running start and then jumped at him, covering my body in water.  
He dodges, but just barely. I fly around him again looking for an opening, but while I do that, he starts shooting loops of dark energy at me. When I finally find an opening, he nails me with one of his attacks. I can't see which one hit me, but it hurt. As I pick myself up off of the ground, I look over to my opponent and to my dismay, I see him charging up another one of his shockwave attacks.  
"I will admit, you and your team fared quite well for being so outranked. I'm surprised that you've gotten this far. But I guess that doesn't matter now. You served as a great warm-up for my attack against your precious Federation. So long, brat." He slams his arms against the ground and releases his attack.  
I close my eyes and braced for impact and felt a rush of air blow by me. But it never comes.  
"Hey! Open your eyes!" It's Nick's voice. As I open my eyes, I see him standing in front of me with his arms out. I open my eyes more and see that he has somehow put up some kind of barrier to protect me from the imposter's attack.  
"Yo! Anyone home?" He asks. He must have been asking me questions while I was dazed. "Are you OK?"  
"Yeah, I'm fine. How did you do this?" I ask him.  
"To be completely honest, I have no idea."  
I can't believe it. He saved me completely by accident and learned how to create a barrier in the process.  
"But I do know how to do this! Metronome!"  
The barrier drops as Nick waved his fingers back and forth. Nick becomes surrounded by electricity, then makes it jump from him to our imposter foe, who yelps from the strength of the attack. I jump up, refilled with the hope that we can defeat him. The imposter snarls as Nick prepares another Metronome attack and I remove my scalchop, readying for battle.  
The imposter starts to move closer to us as Nick yells out "Metronome!" once more.


	10. Torrent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jake and Team Sky Shiekd think they can handle a fight with this mysterious person who looks like Matt, but the battle quickly takes a turn for the worst. Can they get out of the cave safely?

Chapter 10: Torrent

Both me and the Matt-imposter flinched as a flash of light emanated from Nick as he used his Metronome attack.  
Crap! Not again! He can't get Explosion again! We'll be taken out of the fight if that happens!  
As the light dissipates, I saw Nick flopping on the ground on his side.  
It might have been completely out of context to do so, but I laughed. I nearly fell on the floor it was so funny. But that laughter quickly turned to pain. The imposter attacked us with a sphere of black energy, like at the start of our fight. Me and Nick were thrown backwards by the blast.  
Nick got up first. He rushed our foe and started using his barrier move to both hit the imposter and push him back.  
"NICK!"  
Joey! I thought he was out for the count!  
Nick turned back to face the voice after putting up one last barrier to protect himself.  
"Don't use that technique too much! It has a high chance of failing when used in succession!" He shouted across the room.  
Nick smirked, dropped the barrier protecting him, turned and rammed into the imposter. That one hurt. I could tell even from where I was. This launched him airborne but he quickly recovered and shot loops of dark energy at Nick.  
Nick threw his arms out to create the barrier again but, just as Joey had warned him of, the barrier didn't appear.  
I could feel Joey wince as the imposter's attack landed dead on Nick.  
Nick fell to the ground again, but this time I could tell he was unconscious.  
I was angry now. This monster had beaten both of my friends into submission. I was done. I prepared my Razor Shell technique as I dashed towards him. The blade of my scalchop extended and I slashed horizontally to my right. He jumped back to dodge the attack. I stepped forward and slashed to my left but he dodged again. My plan was to push the imposter to a wall and nail him with one of my attacks.  
At first my plan was working. Once I got him close to one of the surrounding walls, he noticed what I was doing and quickly countered me. As I moved in to hit him with my scalchop, he quickly formed a black sphere of energy and threw it at me point-blank. There was no way I could have dodged it. The attack exploded in my face and tossed me backwards onto my back and, once again, onto the cave's ground.  
As I landed, the rest of the air in my lungs got sucked out of me. That really hurt.  
The imposter jumped towards me, stopping just short of my feet.  
I sat up, placing my scalchop back onto my chest. I was hardly able to breath and barely managed to get to my feet. I had no energy left whatsoever.  
I looked back at my team. Nick was facedown on the ground, out cold. Joey was conscious, but hardly able to move, watching everything go down. I couldn't believe it. It was over. We'd lost. I felt tears start to stream down my face. I didn't want to give in; I had too much pride to do that. But yet I didn't have another choice. I faced the imposter again.  
"Aww, what's the matter? You worn out? Can't fight anymore? Good. That makes it even easier to finish you off."  
He started preparing another sphere of darkness. In that moment, I felt sick to my stomach. I struggled to focus; everything was getting blurry. I tried to stabilize myself, but it didn't help. The last thing I remember seeing was my foe lowering his guard, confident that he had beaten us. After that, I blacked out, falling ever deeper into darkness and the realization that our team had been defeated by that monster.

(^ Note: This transition shows a change in perspective. ^)  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

This can't be happening... I kept telling myself.  
Jake had fallen over onto the ground and made no attempt to catch himself. He had to have been knocked out. I glanced over at Nick, but he was also facedown in the dirt, not moving. Though, I could see that he was breathing, barely.  
The villain laughed.  
"Is that seriously the best the Federation has to offer? Pathetic." He started walking towards the entrance of the room, I'm guessing to leave and face the Federation. He almost walked by Jake, but stopped before he passed by.  
"Ya know, you served as a pretty good challenge. You'll become a great explorer one day. But I doubt you'll ever surpass me." He laughed as he purposefully stepped on Jake's arm to deal his last bit of damage before he left.  
I was seeing red. How could he do that? I can understand his reason for wanting to take revenge, but there was no reason to deal damage to someone who can't even fight back.  
I felt my tail's fire grow in size. I couldn't help it. It just happens when I get angry. Through that he must have noticed me.  
"Hey." He yelled to me. "Always remember that the lone wolf, Uziel Zorua, was the one to single-handedly beat your team. And the one who will finally take out the Federation."  
Uziel Zorua. That was his name. I'll have to remember it for later.  
As he started walking away, a hand reached out and grabbed Zorua by his ankle. It was Jake. I couldn't believe it. After all of this he could still move.  
"Heh, you sure are a resilient one, huh?" Zorua said to Jake.  
Jake didn't answer. Instead he responded with a tighter grip on Zorua's ankle.  
"AH! Hey! Let. Me. GO!" Zorua said as he started stomping on Jake to make him let go. After a few painful seconds of that, Zorua stopped, out of breath. The fight really did take a toll on him too.  
Then, the strangest thing happened. Jake began to give off a bright blue aura and stand up.  
Zorua and I were dumbstruck. I couldn't see his face, but I can only imagine what it looked like. Only, the thing is, Jake didn't look like himself. His eyes had changed. Instead of being able to see the natural color of his eyes, they were bright blue, like the aura he was giving off.  
Jake said nothing but shot a burst of water at Zorua which hit him square in the face. As Zorua fell back, Jake grabbed ahold of Zorua's other ankle. He spun while holding onto Zorua, making it look like a very large top.  
Jake threw Zorua directly above him and surrounded himself with water. I almost didn't see him jump and rush Zorua it was that quick. He flew around the room crashing into walls and the ceiling with the imposter in the front of his water jet. This made rocks fall down from the ceiling, but I honestly didn't care. Seeing Jake do this much damage was breathtaking. After everything that had happened, it was glorious.  
Eventually, he aimed himself straight up and broke apart the water midair. With that small explosion, that boosted Jake up just enough to be above Zorua. He then removed his scalchop and created the largest blade of water I've ever seen. With a mighty swing, he struck Zorua down and threw him to the ground onto his back.  
Jake reformed the water around him and rushed down toward the imposter. My body tightened up. If he missed he would hit the ground with enough force to do a lot of damage to himself.  
Thankfully, he didn't miss. He hit Zorua dead on. After impact, Jake jumped up, landed, and faced the imposter. Though, that feeling of happiness was short lived.  
Jake suddenly collapsed and, to my absolute dismay, Zorua started moving to get up.  
It seemed impossible. How could he have enough strength left to get up? The aura Jake generated no longer glowed and a knot grew in my stomach.  
Zorua stood up, but only for a quick second. He fell to the ground on his gut, shook, and began to change. He started shrinking and his fur coat changed from a light blue to a dark gray. The last thing to change was a red tuft of hair that appeared on his forehead. He was now about the same size as Jake, maybe even smaller.  
"Jeez..." He said weakly. "Where did you manage to get that burst of power?"  
Then, I heard a group of footsteps start to approach the entrance to the room.  
What now?  
I turned my head to see who it was. I couldn't believe it.  
Our so-called rivals had entered the room. Team Dark Sword was here.


	11. The Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Darksword has arrived at the scene, and they seem to be after something. What could it be?

Chapter 11: The Truth

No... No no no... This can’t be happening... Dark Sword can’t be here now...  
Scraggy, Dark Sword’s leader, quickly scans the room and locks his eyes on, not me, but Zorua. I lower my tail and try to sink myself closer to the ground to look less noticeable. The Mawile and Shuppet of Team Dark Sword remain by the entrance of the room we are in to prevent anyone from escaping.  
I don’t think any of them saw me, but Scraggy without a doubt noticed Jake unconscious and with his face in the dirt. He stares at him only for a second before moving closer to Zorua.  
They aren’t after us??  
Scraggy stops right by Zorua and begins to speak.  
“Well hello there, friend! How are you?” Scraggy exclaims with such a fake tone it almost makes me gag.  
“Who are you, and what do you want?” Zorua stats weakly.  
Scraggy sits down next to him and continues.  
“I just want some information on something that I’m positive you know about.”  
After a few tense seconds, Zorua responds with, “Which is?”  
“The Instrument.”  
Zorua’s eyes widen and his mouth parts with surprise.  
“I won’t tell you anything of the sort!” He exclaims.  
What is so important about this instrument thing? And why does Dark Sword want it?  
“Well that’s kinda the problem.” Scraggy says playfully. “You’re our only source of information on the subject. So, like it or not, you will tell us.”  
His voice gets really serious when saying that. It makes the air tense and sends a shiver down my spine.  
Seconds pass with pure silence in the room. It scares me. It truly terrifies me.  
Suddenly, Zorua jumps up.  
“NEVER!” He yells.  
Zorua shoots a ball of dark energy from his mouth at Scraggy. Scraggy jumps up as well but doesn’t attempt to dodge at all. In a split second, Scraggy bats the attack away with his right arm and into a wall, taking no damage at all.  
Again, Zorua is shocked. He doesn’t move at all.  
“Zorua..... Run...”  
Jake!! He’s awake!  
Scraggy looks back at Jake who is still laying on the ground, unable to move.  
“Oh? You’re awake? I thought you were beaten too badly by this weakling to even keep your eyes open.” He calmly states.  
“Zorua, you can’t beat him... You have to run...” Jake says, out of breath.  
Scraggy walks toward Jake and puts a foot on his back.  
“Be quiet, runt. This business is between me and him. Not you.”  
Zorua still doesn’t move. He seems to be too afraid.  
Jake is shouting, removing the silence within the room.  
“ZORUA RUUNNN!!”  
“I SAID SHUT UP!” Scraggy yells back.  
My muscles tighten. Dark Sword’s leader simply steps down on Jake’s back and creates a crater where Jake once was. My jaw drops.  
Jake..... How is this happening? I never imagined that he would be this powerful.  
I don’t see Zorua anymore. He must have turned and ran deeper into the cave when Scraggy did that.  
The Scraggy growls then yells back to his other two members.  
“What are you still doing there?! Chase him!!”  
All three of them run deeper into the cave, giving chase to Zorua. All I can do is hope that he won’t get caught.  
I struggle to move for a moment. So much has happened in such a short time.  
Jake!  
I forget about my injuries. Jake is in much worse condition. I get up and slowly limp over to him with our Explorer Kit in hand.  
As I get to him, I open our kit and look for anything to help. It seemed like minutes have passed as I look; I can’t find any Oran Berries or Reviver Seeds.  
No... No... No! This can’t be happening!!  
In my frustration I throw the bag across the room and burst into tears.  
I can’t help my team at all. Not only was I useless in the fight against Zorua, but I can’t even heal them after the brawl.  
I cry. It seems like the only thing I can do. I can’t stop. I collapse, laying there for what seems like hours. I can’t motivate myself to continue.  
Then, I notice something, or rather someone, walking towards me.  
I quickly attempt to get ahold of myself and face the figure.  
“Whoa, whoa there, youngster! I mean you no harm!”  
“Who are you? And what do you want?” I scream.  
The figure is yellow and had very large ears.  
“Like I said, young one, I mean no harm. All I want to do is help. I am called Hypno,” he says.  
I pause. “What if you’re Zorua, the shapeshifter? What if you’re leading that other team back here to fight me?”  
He sighs and tosses me a small bag. “Open it,” He instructs.  
Cautiously, I open the sack and my jaw drops yet again, but this time in amazement.  
It was full of Reviver Seeds, Oran Berries and Apples. I find myself drooling over this assortment of goodies.  
I look back at him and asked: “Why?”  
“I felt like you needed some help.”  
“Well, you’re not wrong.” I sorrowfully admit.  
“After all, you and your group went through a lot in this cave.”  
How did he know that?  
His eyes light up. “Oops. Shouldn’t have said that...”  
“How do you know?” I ask.  
“Weeeelllll...” He slowly starts. “I’ve kept a close eye on your team ever since you walked into this cave.”  
“Explain more.” I urge him.  
He sighs, sits down next to me, and begins his tale. “It started when I first found this cave myself, I was about your age I believe. I quickly made this place my home. Around the same time, the Exploration Federation came into being. Not soon after the Federation was founded, Pokemon mistook this cave as a Mystery Dungeon and every team under the sun started exploring this place nonstop. Fed up with this happening almost everyday, I devised a plan.  
“I researched three very powerful Legendary Pokemon and eventually learned a spell to cast on others, which would make them see these legends and even believe that they were there. Word quickly spread that Legendary Pokemon existed in this cave and would fight anyone that entered the cave. Of course the illusions were created by me and were only meant to keep exploration teams out of my home, so I could live in peace. The same went for you and that shapeshifter you fought.”  
He steps back, pulls out a small pendulum, and swings it back and forth in front of me. Within seconds, a group of large Pokemon suddenly appear. I jump back, getting ready to fight.  
“Hold on, hold on!” Hypno yells.  
As I focus, I realize that it was the three Legendaries that he was talking about; Terrakion, Virizion and one other. I didn’t know it’s name.  
“See?”  
“Yeah, I do...” I say slowly, afraid the illusions would attack again.  
With the snap of his fingers, they all vanish.  
“That’s my story, youngin.”  
Again, I am shocked. The Legendaries were just illusions meant to protect the home of one Pokemon.  
“Well, as much as I like to have company, I believe it’s time for us to part ways.”  
I nod towards him. “Yeah.”  
He lifts up Nick with ease, a feat I didn’t think was possible, and starts walking towards the back of the cave. “Follow me. And bring your friend, too. There’s a teleportation pad that the Federation installed in the back which will warp you to the front of the cave.” 

We arrive at the pad and say farewell to each other. He makes me promise not to tell anyone about what I have learned, except for my teammates. With a final wave to each other, I am warped to the mouth of the cave. I quickly heal my team with our new supplies, and when they awake, we make our way back to base and rest as I explain what had happened.  
Somehow, we have done it. We evaded Team Dark Sword and found the truth about “Jake’s brother”. Though, we’re certain that it wasn’t the last time we had seen either of them.

The next day we rest some more, hardly able to move still. However, while we doze around, we receive a letter. It’s from the Exploration Federation masters requesting our presence. The letter doesn’t say why, just that they wanted to see us.  
We have no choice. We have to go. We have to face them, for better or for worse.


End file.
